A critical crisis loomed as the face-gorillas swarmed towards them.
In that instant, I instinctively knew.
The plan to simply race all the way to the 15th floor would prove impossible.
While Kang Suji remained completely unfazed, I was the problem.
Having built a wall against any form of exercise, I was ill-prepared.
No superhuman strength suddenly manifested within me.
Beyond the fifth floor, my legs became as heavy as lead, and my lungs burned with fiery heat.
Above all, speed was the most critical issue.
The face-gorillas began their descent, their heavy footsteps echoing through the stairwell.
Each time their massive bodies slammed against the ground with reckless abandon, they approached at more than twice the speed of an adult man.
Bang, bang, bang—
The walls and ceiling trembled, showering down dust that obscured my vision.
The erratic vibrations rendered my body uncontrollable.
First attempt.
…I tripped while running and died.
I could never forget the look on Kang Suji’s face as she watched me then.
Anyone could fall, couldn’t they?
Second attempt.
Unable to see through the dust, I reached for the handrail.
My hand flailed in empty air, and I tumbled down the stairs.
Fortunately, I didn’t see her expression that time.
Third attempt.
I adapted to the environment and ascended calmly, but only reached the seventh floor.
Fourth attempt.
I failed to notice a face-monkey approaching from a side door and died on the fifth floor.
Fifth, sixth, seventh attempts.
Sixth floor, fourth floor, seventh floor.
The outcome remained unchanged.
…Twelfth attempt.
I barely reached the eighth floor.
Even after that, I made dozens more tries.
The ninth floor.
That was the limit.
Reaching any higher floor proved impossible, no matter what desperate measures I took.
While my own physical limitations were a factor, the exhaustion of my partner, who had been synchronizing with me, was also critical.
Most of the knives Kang Suji carried, meant to protect me, had broken.
Now, she was suspended in the air, caught in the hand of a face-gorilla.
The heavy footsteps of the face-gorillas drew closer to where I lay fallen.
From below, above, and beside me.
The heavy, grotesque thumping grew steadily nearer.
Gazing at the approaching fist, I decided to abandon the method of blindly climbing the stairs.
…To reach beyond the tenth floor, I needed to find another way.
In truth, when I first experienced death on the stairs during my first attempt, a different method had immediately come to mind.
Using the elevator.
If I could just take it to the 14th floor, then climbing one more floor would grant me an easy victory to the 15th.
However, the space that unfolded before my eyes when I pressed the 14th floor and stepped out was no office.
It was an absolute darkness where neither walls, ceiling, nor floor were visible.
Even stretching out my hand, I couldn’t see it.
In that empty space, where only my breathing echoed, I couldn’t even be sure if the ground beneath my feet truly existed.
Within the profound darkness, where not a single ray of light could penetrate, I felt my boundaries slowly dissolve.
My toes, my legs, my entire body.
And then, finally—
I was swallowed by the darkness.
[Returning to the last save point.]
[The most recent save point is AUTO SAVE1.]
[Rookie Employee’s Commute Ghost Story]
[Type of Death]: Erosion
[Tip]: When using the elevator, do not disembark on an unspecified floor.
****
Opening my eyes in the company lobby, I nodded.
Finally, I understood.
I knew what I had to do now.
I pulled out my phone.
[Title: A Fresh Newbie’s Surprise Quiz Show!! Guess Correctly! Win 200 Coins!]
–Author: Newbie120053
Honestly, as a newbie, I don’t need coins yet.
So I thought.
What if I gave them to those who needed them more desperately than I do?
I’m thinking of distributing them…
But just giving them away feels a bit bland, doesn’t it?
So, I’ll ask a simple quiz.
I have 200 coins in my hand right now.
I will give all 200 coins to just one person who provides the most suitable answer!
No lie.
I swear on my batch number.
[Quiz]
Imagine you need to reach the top of a building, but the elevator is broken, and the stairs are full of burly figures.
You can’t physically defeat a single one of them.
In such a situation, how would you solve it?
[ForestCallingGhastly]: Just climb up the window. Give me the coins.
[PoisonousChingbung]: Can’t you just spread your wings and fly? Give me the coins.
[DarkMerchant]: Just bribe them to let you through. Give me the coins.
[BystanderPossessed]: Empty your body and possess someone to go up. Give me the coins.
Had they all turned into coin-obsessed parrots?
At the end of every sentence, these coin-crazed fools mindlessly spouted their replies.
Every single comment was utterly useless.
From the outset, going outside the building meant death.
Thus, climbing out a window or flying were disqualified options.
Bribes? Would waving banknotes at gorillas make them attack? They already attacked without them, didn’t they?
Possession was a no-go.
Just then, a post left by one of the Ghastly Gallery’s phantoms caught my eye.
[NotHuman]: So, the goal is just to get to the top, no matter how?
–[Newbie120053]: Yes! Just reaching the top is enough!
–[NotHuman]: Then. Isn’t it simple to just commit arson inside the building and burn everything down? What are those guys going to do when it’s on fire? Lololol.
–[HeavenBreaker]: Holy sh*t, they’re calling that advice.
–[FutureSCP]: Lmao, for real. Even a ghastly would be terrified by this.
–[Newbie120053]: …!?!
No, such a method existed?
That was it.
–[Newbie120053]: Thank you!
–[NotHuman]: Did I get it right?
–[Newbie120053]: Yes. You’ve won!
–[NotHuman]: Lolololol 200 coins, sweet! Umaii!
–[NotHuman]: You’re giving the coins right away, right?
–[Newbie120053]: Of course. I should. Just a moment.
Rising from my seat, I slowly made my way out of the building.
–[NotHuman]: Hey, what are you doing?
What was I doing, indeed?
I let out a soft chuckle.
I’m rolling back.
****
The space where I stood now was a manifestation of the ghost story.
An office.
Here, flammable materials were abundant.
Piles of paper, old document boxes.
It was an environment where flames could swiftly spread once ignited.
Though I had long quit smoking, I habitually pulled out the lighter I still carried in my pocket.
Gripping it with practiced ease, I flicked on the flame and tossed it directly onto the large pile of documents.
At first, the paper slowly charred, emitting thin wisps of smoke.
Soon, with a crackle, sparks flew, and the fire spread instantaneously.
As the flames swept through the partitions, the hazy smoke quickly transformed into acrid black fumes.
As the blaze intensified and the black smoke grew in volume, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The people continued their work as if nothing were amiss, but the monsters were different.
From the face-gorillas to the face-monkey offspring, they all rushed to extinguish the fire.
Now.
In the midst of that chaos.
I whispered softly.
“Let’s go.”
Kang Suji, standing beside me, nodded.
We immediately turned towards the emergency stairs.
The face-gorilla guarding the entrance was nowhere to be seen, presumably having gone to put out the fire.
The situation was unfolding smoothly.
When we reached approximately the 14th floor without any hindrance, a tumultuous roar erupted from below.
Bang— Bang— Bang—
Followed by the beasts’ howls.
They had noticed.
Just then, Kang Suji, who was running alongside me, caught her breath and spoke.
“Go up.”
She turned her body, blocking the stairwell entrance.
In both her hands, she gripped military daggers.
“I’ll hold them off here. Even if we both reach the 15th floor, someone will have to stay behind to prevent them from coming up anyway.”
When our gazes met, she let out a short, wry chuckle.
“Honestly, I don’t think I have much talent as an investigator. All I’ve done so far is observe next to Alpha. I wouldn’t be much help if I went up. So, please, go.”
Hoo—
“…If Alpha truly shines as an investigator.”
With a soft rasp.
The two daggers in her hands merged, forming a single sword.
“I do, when I’m here.”
“Kang Suji.”
Gripping the sword, she declared.
“Task Force Code of Conduct! One: Dedicate your entire being to protecting your comrades so they may fulfill their mission. Two: No matter what the cost. Three: That is the duty of the Task Force.”
A sudden declaration.
Yet, I was not flustered.
The meaning she wished to convey to me had been fully delivered.
This time, our eyes met, and smiles simultaneously spread across our faces.
This choice could no longer be called a sacrifice.
As she had said, she was simply standing in the position where she shone brightest.
What I needed to say here was not an apology or an expression of regret.
“I’ll leave it to you.”
It was a statement of faith in a comrade.
As I ascended the stairs.
A massive shockwave erupted from below.
The battle had begun.
****
Finally, I arrived at the 15th floor.
It wasn’t long before I halted my steps.
Opening the door, I was met with countless employees packed tightly together.
At the end of that path, a single door stood isolated.
Employees were visible, blocking the front of that door with their bodies.
I knew instinctively.
I had to pass through that door.
However, my physical prowess was not significant.
At best, I was on par with an average adult male.
Naturally, with such a physique, I might manage one opponent, but victory against two was uncertain, and against three, it was an absolute guaranteed defeat.
In this dire situation, a phrase from a letter suddenly came to mind.
The protagonist of the letter, first saved by the recorder’s pen.
‘Even in death.’
I didn’t know if his soul still lingered within their bodies.
What if I tried and failed?
…If I failed, I could just start again.
For I had countless opportunities.
“…Lee Jiram. Songpa-gu, Seoul.”
“Song Eunkyung. Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.”
“Park Dohyun. Namdong-gu, Incheon—”
The voice, which had continued for a while, ceased.
These were the only names I knew and could record of these people.
“—I will ensure the letters are delivered safely to their homes.”
I bowed my head.
As expected, there was no change.
I had no intention of dimming her resolve.
Nor did I, having come this far, intend to surrender meekly.
The moment I prepared to charge forward.
An anomaly occurred among the approaching dolls.
A few of them stopped.
And then, they grabbed the dolls next to them.
Compared to the total number of dolls, it wasn’t many.
A mere fraction.
However, even that small gap was enough for me to slip through.
I didn’t hesitate.
I ran.
Hands reached out from all directions to seize my body.
But each time, another hand shot out and grasped the reaching hand.
A pounding heart.
Rapid, shallow breaths.
…Time seemed to slow.
Even in that urgent moment, my gaze followed the employee IDs pinned to the dolls.
…Kim Suji.
She had clearly said she needed hospital fees. Her mother was sick, she had said.
—They shatter.
Kim Eunjae.
She had said her five-year-old youngest sibling was waiting at home.
—They shatter.
Choi Mina.
She had said she was about to marry her childhood friend of ten years.
—They shatter.
Jung Haneul.
They had said their dog, raised since childhood, was left alone at home.
—They shatter.
Park Dohyun.
They had said they had never once told their parents they loved them.
—They shatter.
And again,
And again,
Finally, my hand touched the door.
And just before the door slammed shut, I instinctively glanced back.
I saw the last doll in the colossal wave shattering into pieces.
Countless broken and scattered dolls littered the floor.
…Somehow, I felt unwell.
Profoundly so.
In that moment, the door slammed shut with a powerful crash, cleaving my vision.
CRASH—!
